This invention relates generally to television and telephone systems and more specifically to an interactive television system integrated with cordless phone circuitry to allow automatic telephonic communication between the interactive television system and a central site.
An emerging trend in the marketing of cable television and digital satellite systems (DSS) is to emphasize Pay-Per-View (PPV) television programming as a source of revenue. An ideal PPV television system should allow a viewer to purchase the right to watch a television program such as a movie, sporting event, or other special event through a minimal amount of effort on the part of the viewer. For example, after watching a short preview or advertisement of a PPV program, the viewer could gain access to the PPV program simply by pressing a selected button on the viewer""s remote control unit for a television or video cassette recorder (VCR). In another example, the viewer is watching an informational commercial (xe2x80x9cinfomercialxe2x80x9d) or a home shopping program and the viewer desires to purchase an advertised product by pressing a selected button on the remote control unit. In existing television systems, in order for the viewer to arrange for PPV program access, the viewer must go to the viewer""s telephone, call the PPV program provider (such as the cable company) and enter his or her cable box serial number, credit card number and PPV program identifier. The PPV program provider then enables the cable box to display the selected PPV program to the viewer. In the home shopping situation, the viewer must write down the advertiser""s telephone number and product identifier, go to the telephone, call the advertiser or a home shopping service provider, and then communicate the required credit card and product selection information to an operator.
In more recent systems using digital set top boxes (such as DSS), the set top box itself is directly connected to a telephone line in the viewer""s home and the remote control unit includes a button for ordering a PPV program. When the button is pushed by the viewer, the telephone number of the PPV program provider is automatically dialed and the box identifier and PPV program identifier are automatically transmitted over the telephone connection to the PPV program provider. In this scenario, the viewer must establish a credit card account with the PPV program provider for billing purposes prior to pushing the button to select a PPV program. A major drawback to effective operation of these systems is the requirement that the set top box and television must be close to a telephone jack in the viewer""s home, because of the direct connections by wire between the set top box, the television and the telephone jack. In many homes, the television is not in close proximity to a telephone jack, nor even in the same room, thereby rendering such systems unsuitable for widespread use. An interactive television system overcoming this drawback would have considerable value in the PPV, home shopping, and other interactive viewing situations.
A system for communicating information from a television viewer to a central site includes a remote control unit for sending command signals from the viewer to a television or video cassette recorder (VCR). Circuitry integral with the television or VCR accepts the command signals from the remote control unit and interprets the signals to form a viewer command, such as a purchase command, to be communicated to the central site. The circuitry automatically sends dual-tone multifrequency (DTMF) tone signals representing the command over a radio frequency (RF) link to a cordless telephone base unit which is connected to the central site by a public switched telephone network. The cordless telephone base unit initiates a telephone call to the central site and communicates the DTMF tone signals received from the DTMF circuitry to the central site. Because of the advantages of RF communication, the television or VCR does not have to be in the same room as, or in close proximity to the cordless telephone base unit. The television receives a television signal and extracts information related to a product being advertised on a television program from the vertical blanking interval of the television signal. This information may include the telephone number of the central site used for making the telephone connection as well as identification information for products. A cordless telephone handset in communication with the cordless telephone base unit is also included to allow the television viewer or other user to make normal telephone calls with the cordless telephone.
In an embodiment of the present invention, a method of purchasing a product advertised on a program displayed by a television includes reception of a purchase command by a remote control unit of the television, transmission of the purchase command over an infrared link to the television, and initiation of a telephone connection by a cordless telephone base unit to a central site. The purchase command is then sent by dual-tone multifrequency signal generation circuitry resident in the television over a radio frequency link to the cordless telephone base unit. The cordless telephone base unit sends the purchase command to the central site over the telephone connection. The central site then processes the purchase command.
In another embodiment of the present invention, the circuitry for sending the DTMF tone signals is included in the remote control unit instead of the television. In this embodiment, when the viewer pushes a button on the remote control unit to communicate information such as a purchase command to the central site, the remote control unit directs the DTMF circuitry to send the DTMF tone signals representing the viewer""s command to the cordless telephone base unit. These DTMF tone signals are then forwarded over the telephone connection to the central site. In this embodiment, the television still extracts information from the vertical blanking interval of the television signal, but the extracted information is transmitted to the remote control unit for processing.
Still other objects and advantages of the present invention will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description, wherein is shown and described only the preferred embodiment of the invention, simply by way of illustration of the best mode contemplated for carrying out the invention. As will be realized, the invention is capable of other and different embodiments, and its several details are capable of modifications in various obvious respects, all without departing from the invention. Accordingly, the drawings and description are to be regarded as illustrative in nature, and not as restrictive.